Field
The embodiments generally relate to electronic communications between secure communities, and more particularly, to providing intelligent formation and management of dynamic talk groups for push to talk (PTT) service among secure communities, including incident communications networks.
Background
Presently, a plethora of disparate communications resources exist including resources using private wireless communications (e.g., public safety and first responder communications networks), public switched network communications resources, public wireless networks, networks of video surveillance devices, private security networks, and the like. Additionally, millions of consumers and public officials are now equipped with smartphone devices that include multiple communications abilities including both voice and video communications.
Often these communications resources cannot communicate with each other. For example, private wireless communication networks, such as those used by public safety or commercial users, are typically isolated from one another and often utilize different and incompatible technologies. While interoperability products are available to interconnect such diverse systems, cooperation among the entities involved is often a barrier to full and scalable implementation. Thus, prior art first responder communication systems exist (e.g., silo-ed communications systems) wherein control of the resources of each organization coupled to the system is controlled by a central commander or controller. Each organization providing resources to the system must relinquish control of its resources to the central commander. The organization responsible for the operation of its radio system(s) may be unable or unwilling to grant control of its resources either to peer organizations or to a higher-level organization.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,643,445, entitled Interoperable Communications System and Method of Use, issued on Jan. 5, 2010, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,320,874, entitled System and Method for Establishing an Incident Communications Network, issued on Nov. 27, 2012, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety, describe systems and methods for providing an interoperable communications system (“interop system,” also referred to as an Incident Communications Network) including a plurality of otherwise disjunct or disparate communications systems that addressed the deficiencies of prior art systems. The '445 and '874 patents specifically describe methods for establishing an incident communications network that enables interoperable communications among communications resources controlled by multiple organizations during an incident involving emergency or pre-planned multi-organization communications wherein a communications resource is controlled by an administrator within an organization.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 8,364,153, entitled Mobile Interoperability Workstation Controller Having Video Capabilities within an Incident Communications Network, issued on Jan. 29, 2013, (“Mobile IWC Application”) which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, extends the concepts of the '445 and '874 patents. Namely, the Mobile IWC Application includes enhanced video capture and streaming capabilities that are integrated with incident information and events to facilitate improved management and analysis of incidents or events in which an incident communications network is employed.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 8,811,940, entitled Dynamic Asset Marshalling Within an Incident Communications Network, issued on Aug. 19, 2014, (“Marshalling Application”) which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, extends the concepts of the '445 and '874 patents. Namely, the Marshalling Application provides systems and methods that marshal resources into an incident communications network based on a variety of factors, such as the type of incident and the type of resource being marshaled.
U.S. Patent Publication 2013/0198517, entitled Enabling Ad Hoc Trusted Connections Among Enclaved Communication Communities, filed on Mar. 13, 2013, (“Enclaved Application”) which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, extends the concepts of the '445 and '874 patents. Namely, the Enclave Application presents systems and methods for dynamic access among secure communities, such as incident communications networks, that enables communication resources of a first secure community to securely access and/or utilize communication resources within other secure communities.
Inadequate Push to Talk (PTT) Services
When an emergency occurs requiring multiple public safety agencies to respond, a joint incident command structure may be established where designated commanders from each agency coordinate activities of responding personnel. These scenarios are often chaotic and the impacted areas usually have personnel from many agencies present on site. It is often a complex, manual, and time consuming process to issue credentials to personnel, to manage their check-in for duty, and to keep track of who is on site. Further, when an incident response requires a specific skill-set, expertise, and/or knowledge of how a specific type of equipment operates, determining and identifying the requisite personnel having the necessary skills and/or equipment can be time consuming, and can require complex and multiple communication messages being relayed between agencies.
In addition, disaster areas often have various levels of restricted or limited access areas for personnel, due to environmental hazards or for facilitating ease of movement of personnel and equipment or the performance of certain unimpeded operational tasks. Communicating restricted access information, including the description of geographic boundaries, communicating access credential levels, and interrogating the validity of access credentials with respect to various personnel can be a complex, cumbersome and time-consuming process, thereby also potentially contributing to time-delays and negative impact on life safety and overall incident response.
Typical Push to Talk (PTT) services support the exchange voice communications using half-duplex communication methods, e.g., a two-way radio. A PTT talk group is a logically defined voice communications group defined by a PTT user or PTT administrator that allows users to send and receive voice messages from other member users in the talk group. In conventional PTT systems, such as land mobile radio systems, only one member of a group can transmit and speak at a time, and the remaining members listen. When the transmit channel is released, other members may push to talk (e.g., key a radio) and seize control of the transmitting function until the transmit function is released. The transmit control function may be accomplished through control signaling which blocks other PPT users from acquiring control of the shared transmit function, or may be accomplished through other means such a voice activated detection (VAD) coupled with in-band or out of band control signaling which blocks transmission by other users while a voice communication is being transmitted. Internet protocol systems using Voice over IP (VOIP) and other digital voice transmission over data network technologies enable client software operated on computing devices such as mobile smartphones to simulate PTT type functionality among a group of users. This IP based PTT technology enables users with a defined talk group to transmit and receive voice communications on a persistent basis subject to a user's PTT application client being actively run and being in active state such as being in the application foreground of an operating system. IP PTT may employ half duplex or full duplex communications, and may impose floor control using means similar to radio-based PTT systems. In either radio or IP based PTT systems, a central administrator function serves to register and administer members of a talk group and a talk group is typically limited to enterprise use (members within the same agency or enterprise) or user-defined where an authorized user may establish a talk group and invite members via the central administrator.
Embodiments address, among other things, the problem that conventional PTT services are inadequate because the published information about potential talk group members in different agencies is static and includes limited information such as a name, job title, and an associated agency. As a result, talk groups may be large and cumbersome and include a generalized membership which makes it difficult to address specific needs during an incident. Alternatively, the talk groups may be smaller and include and rely upon a dispatch unit from each of the responding agencies to relay communications to respective agency members. Both alternatives are complex and time-consuming. In addition, conventional PTT services do not consider geographic boundaries.